Diplomats on brink of dream season
From today's Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Diplomats on brink of dream season
Win over Gettysburg could lead to CC title
By Joel Schreiner, Intelligencer Journal CorrespondentIntelligencer Journal
Published: Nov 11, 2005 9:50 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Heading into the final game of the season, facing a long-time rival and you still have a chance to grab a share of a league championship.You can't expect a better scenario. It's exactly what every athlete and team hopes for.
"We couldn't ask for anything more at this point," said Diplomat linebacker Chris Stepien as he prepared for Saturday afternoon's season-finale at Sponaugle-Williamson Field (1 p.m.) against Gettysburg.
The Diplomats and Bullets have squared off 90 times dating back to 1890, but not many of those clashes held the significance this one does. Both enter the game tied for second place with 3-2 Centennial Conference records, one game behind Johns Hopkins.
The winner in Lancaster then has a shot at tying for the CC title if Hopkins loses at McDaniel Saturday in Westminster, Md. The Blue Jays, though, have won four straight over the Green Terror."
We just have to take care of our business on Saturday and see what happens," said Stepien, who was named CC Defensive Player of the Week after registering seven tackles and a pair of interceptions in F&M's 19-17 win last week at Ursinus.
Entering the season, expectations were high following a 2004 season which saw the Diplomats post an 8-3 mark and finish in a rare five-way tie for first place in the CC.
"I think it really shows how competitive the Centennial Conference is," said third-year F&M coach Shawn Halloran. "Heading into the season, we knew we had to play well each and every week."
F&M, however, struggled at the start of the '06 campaign, losing back-to-back non-conference games at Bethany (34-21) and at Hobart (34-0). The Diplomats rebounded with a pair of home wins (Carnegie Mellon and Muhlenberg), but then went on a three-game losing skid, dropping a non-conference decision to Union and CC losses at Hopkins and at Dickinson.
After seven weeks, F&M was 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the CC.
"Starting the season the way we did, I never would have expected we'd now have a shot at winning the title," said Diplomat senior quarterback Jeff Harner.
"It would really change how we felt about the season.
There was a lot expected of us. We expected a lot of ourselves. We just didn't get it done."
Harner was tabbed the conference's Preseason Player of the Year on the heels of a 2004 season when he threw for 1,667 yards and 13 touchdowns a season ago.
This season, he has not enjoyed the same success, throwing for 1,104 yards and only four touchdowns."
It's really been frustrating," Harner said. "I don't think I got better from last season. I feel like I've put in the effort but I'm just not getting the results."
Last week at Ursinus, Harner threw for 123 yards, led the team in rushing (68 yards) and had a 29-yard TD run as F&M posted a critical come-from-behind win.
Two weeks ago at McDaniel, he injured his shoulder and his replacement Kyle Turner had 251 yards passing when the Diplomats pulled out a 17-14 overtime win.
"After the McDaniel game, we started getting our confidence back," said Stepien, who leads the team in tackles, tackles-for-losses and interceptions. "A lot of us didn't understand what was going wrong. The thing that kept us together was we didn't point any fingers or go around blaming anybody. We just kept doing what we were doing.
"Still, though, the Diplomats enter Week Ten with a 4-5 overall record and have only scored 12 touchdowns in nine games for a 12.3 scoring average, which is last in the CC. So, too, is their third-down conversion rate of 23-percent (33-for-141), which has been a thorn in Halloran's side all season.
"We've obviously struggled," said Halloran. "But I think we've bounced back nicely in the second half of the season which has enabled us to be in the position we are in. We certainly did take a bit of a roller coaster ride to get to this point."
Halloran is quick to point out turnovers as the biggest dilemma for the Diplomats. In their four wins, they have just seven turnovers. Conversely, they have coughed it up 20 times in five losses. Overall, they own a minus-four turnover margin.
"Turnovers will be a huge factor in determining the outcome of this game," said Halloran. "We're still looking for that game where all three phases --offense, defense and special teams -- are clicking together. We haven't played a game like that all season. We only have one opportunity left."
And what an opportunity it is.
Guys like Harner and Stepien -- two of 12 F&M seniors -- would have it no other way.
"We're winners," said Stepien. "We need to show that to ourselves and everybody else. It would mean everything to win this game. I really want it bad and all the other seniors do too."
Diplomats on brink of dream season
Win over Gettysburg could lead to CC title
By Joel Schreiner, Intelligencer Journal CorrespondentIntelligencer Journal
Published: Nov 11, 2005 9:50 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Heading into the final game of the season, facing a long-time rival and you still have a chance to grab a share of a league championship.You can't expect a better scenario. It's exactly what every athlete and team hopes for.
"We couldn't ask for anything more at this point," said Diplomat linebacker Chris Stepien as he prepared for Saturday afternoon's season-finale at Sponaugle-Williamson Field (1 p.m.) against Gettysburg.
The Diplomats and Bullets have squared off 90 times dating back to 1890, but not many of those clashes held the significance this one does. Both enter the game tied for second place with 3-2 Centennial Conference records, one game behind Johns Hopkins.
The winner in Lancaster then has a shot at tying for the CC title if Hopkins loses at McDaniel Saturday in Westminster, Md. The Blue Jays, though, have won four straight over the Green Terror."
We just have to take care of our business on Saturday and see what happens," said Stepien, who was named CC Defensive Player of the Week after registering seven tackles and a pair of interceptions in F&M's 19-17 win last week at Ursinus.
Entering the season, expectations were high following a 2004 season which saw the Diplomats post an 8-3 mark and finish in a rare five-way tie for first place in the CC.
"I think it really shows how competitive the Centennial Conference is," said third-year F&M coach Shawn Halloran. "Heading into the season, we knew we had to play well each and every week."
F&M, however, struggled at the start of the '06 campaign, losing back-to-back non-conference games at Bethany (34-21) and at Hobart (34-0). The Diplomats rebounded with a pair of home wins (Carnegie Mellon and Muhlenberg), but then went on a three-game losing skid, dropping a non-conference decision to Union and CC losses at Hopkins and at Dickinson.
After seven weeks, F&M was 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the CC.
"Starting the season the way we did, I never would have expected we'd now have a shot at winning the title," said Diplomat senior quarterback Jeff Harner.
"It would really change how we felt about the season.
There was a lot expected of us. We expected a lot of ourselves. We just didn't get it done."
Harner was tabbed the conference's Preseason Player of the Year on the heels of a 2004 season when he threw for 1,667 yards and 13 touchdowns a season ago.
This season, he has not enjoyed the same success, throwing for 1,104 yards and only four touchdowns."
It's really been frustrating," Harner said. "I don't think I got better from last season. I feel like I've put in the effort but I'm just not getting the results."
Last week at Ursinus, Harner threw for 123 yards, led the team in rushing (68 yards) and had a 29-yard TD run as F&M posted a critical come-from-behind win.
Two weeks ago at McDaniel, he injured his shoulder and his replacement Kyle Turner had 251 yards passing when the Diplomats pulled out a 17-14 overtime win.
"After the McDaniel game, we started getting our confidence back," said Stepien, who leads the team in tackles, tackles-for-losses and interceptions. "A lot of us didn't understand what was going wrong. The thing that kept us together was we didn't point any fingers or go around blaming anybody. We just kept doing what we were doing.
"Still, though, the Diplomats enter Week Ten with a 4-5 overall record and have only scored 12 touchdowns in nine games for a 12.3 scoring average, which is last in the CC. So, too, is their third-down conversion rate of 23-percent (33-for-141), which has been a thorn in Halloran's side all season.
"We've obviously struggled," said Halloran. "But I think we've bounced back nicely in the second half of the season which has enabled us to be in the position we are in. We certainly did take a bit of a roller coaster ride to get to this point."
Halloran is quick to point out turnovers as the biggest dilemma for the Diplomats. In their four wins, they have just seven turnovers. Conversely, they have coughed it up 20 times in five losses. Overall, they own a minus-four turnover margin.
"Turnovers will be a huge factor in determining the outcome of this game," said Halloran. "We're still looking for that game where all three phases --offense, defense and special teams -- are clicking together. We haven't played a game like that all season. We only have one opportunity left."
And what an opportunity it is.
Guys like Harner and Stepien -- two of 12 F&M seniors -- would have it no other way.
"We're winners," said Stepien. "We need to show that to ourselves and everybody else. It would mean everything to win this game. I really want it bad and all the other seniors do too."
posted by Pat McConnell | 11:18 AM
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